Wouldn't acceleration/deceleration be the same for 1, 2, 3, or N car trains, since each car accelerates and decelerates itself?

Also, I'm holding out hopes for an UrbanMSP Green Line bar crawl, but it seems like everybody has that idea so maybe it would be terrible. To really do it right would take most of the day and involve something like 15 drinks (assuming 1 drink per stop, and you get off one train to get your drink and board the very next train.

I don't remember ever hearing this: Is there an announcement on the Blue Line trains when traveling north and arriving at Downtown East/Metrodome station that this is the stop to transfer to a Green Line car if you want to go to St Paul?

I'm not going to be surprised at all at any accidents involving cars on the Green Line. The blue line has existed for 10 years now and I still see people driving down the tracks/stopping on the tracks on a weekly basis. I'm afraid the learning curve might take a while, especially for out of towners/suburbanites.

Drizzay wrote:I don't remember ever hearing this: Is there an announcement on the Blue Line trains when traveling north and arriving at Downtown East/Metrodome station that this is the stop to transfer to a Green Line car if you want to go to St Paul?

I've noticed it included in the bus routes on the digital display (Bus routes X, Y, Z, & Green Line) but not audibly.

mattaudio wrote:More grasping at straws by MPR this morning. Counting how many times drivers hit the e-brake during training runs, and adding drama. So glad I stopped giving them money. TPT needs it more anyways.

There's nothing negative about that story. They are reporting facts. Facts that generally show that the line is being operated safely. The only operator that appeared to be doing something unusual is now back to driving buses. If anything, you're the one grasping at straws.

mattaudio wrote:More grasping at straws by MPR this morning. Counting how many times drivers hit the e-brake during training runs, and adding drama. So glad I stopped giving them money. TPT needs it more anyways.

They provided full disclosure of their ongoing negotiations and simply reported facts, I don't think the e-brake article is problematic.

According to the reports, motorists cited for running lights and making illegal turns, and pedestrians cited for jaywalking were responsible for the vast majority of the incidents. In one case, a cyclist "cut out" in front of a train in the middle of a snow storm.

Long story short: people are stupid.

There were three incidents where a light rail operator pulled the emergency brake when no pedestrians, cyclists or other vehicles were present. All involved the same operator.

On April 6, the operator stopped the train "about quarter of the way" through the intersection of University and Wheeler. A few weeks later, the operator applied the emergency brake again in response to what he described as a "rapidly changing" traffic light in his report. And on May 19, during a rain storm, the operator used the emergency brake to stop at the Grotto St. intersection in St. Paul, citing "slippery rails."

That operator returned to his job as a bus driver in May.

Not exactly dirty laundry. Met Council provided this info openly and it's just a case of a driver not suited for trains.

Chava wrote:How many of us will be riding and taking pictures like tourists all day Saturday and Sunday?

I'll be out to get a few shots of the "first trains," but, unless the forecast greatly improves (as in sunny instead of cloudy) will probably leave documenting the early days of operation to when it clears up a little bit. Hope the rain/thunder doesn't hinder the opening day events too badly.

It felt super frequent to me. Even knowing that I'd see a train every 5 minutes if they were running full headways, it felt like I was seeing a train every couple of minutes. It felt like they were running at 5 minute headways.

FISHMANPET wrote:It felt super frequent to me. Even knowing that I'd see a train every 5 minutes if they were running full headways, it felt like I was seeing a train every couple of minutes. It felt like they were running at 5 minute headways.

I actually whipped out my phone to time it because I was a little surprised. Two went eastbound within the span of 7 minutes, with a third bringing up the rear two minutes later.